October
SeptemberWestern wonder
I happened to be in Kununurra, a WA town with a history that defies legend, at the time of its annual races.
The media had profiled the races with an emphasis on the presence of the cast and crew of a film that is due to be released in the immediate future.
I arrived as I normally do with the program a few races in arrears, not quite factoring in all the imponderables on the journey to the track.
It came as a thunderbolt to see, on rounding "Saddle Pack" mountain, the sea of vehicles spread out before me.
I settled easily into the eager activity of the large crowd assembled.
As I sought the opportunity for a glimpse of the star of the film in question, I moved amongst an energy and excitement that will remain in my mind as long as I attend races and beyond.
That I was swept up in it all to such an extent that the bookies took my bet on the feature race after they had jumped seemed to me to be but a passing moment.
That the horse lost is always the most probable outcome.
That I never saw the film star in life is something I can live with.
What I will never forget is a great day out and as a consequence how much I lament, as do the people of Gayndar in Queensland, the closing of Australia’s first ever racetrack.
Nangiloc (Vic)